Honoring Veterans

The company where I work, Abbott, sponsored a Veterans Day event on Tuesday that focused on the 25th anniversary of the release of the documentary film They Drew Fire. The film told the story of artists sent to the front in World War II to create art that would help sell U.S. war bonds. In... Continue Reading →

Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast cancer risk was a major topic of discussion at my annual appointment with my gynecologist earlier this year, and she recommended that I see a specialist. That sounded like overkill to me, because I keep up with my routine mammograms and breast exams, which have been healthy in the past. But a few months... Continue Reading →

Reconnecting

Earlier this week as I walked out of my local Starbucks with my mobile order, I made eye contact with a driver pulling out of her parking space. We immediately smiled and waved, recognizing each other as colleagues from the two years I spent working for Northwestern University more than seven years ago. That moment... Continue Reading →

Value of Opposing Views

Despite some gorgeous New England September weather, I found the past week to be pretty depressing. Between the 24th anniversary of Sept. 11, the assassination of a controversial American political figure and the passing of a beloved neighbor, I was feeling a little low. Getting out on Friday night to hear what could be a... Continue Reading →

Camp Friends

My son Hank is having the bittersweet experience of acclimating back to life at home after I picked him up on his last day of summer camp earlier this week. As the youngest in our family, all three kids have now officially aged out of camp, and we have mixed feelings about that. For those... Continue Reading →

More Poems About Friendship

Our first post about friendship-themed poems continues to be one of our most popular to date, so we're adding a few more to our list. We hope you enjoy them - and please add poems you like in the comments so we can build on this list of favorites! On Friendship by Kahlil Gibran--A meditation... Continue Reading →

Surprise Guests from Sweden

Our family has been hosting an 18-year-old Swedish exchange student named Lea since she arrived back in August to begin experiencing life in the United States. She fits right in with our family and has been enjoying her year, which has been flying by. Lea quickly made close friends at the local high school in... Continue Reading →

Feeling Seen

Since last spring I’ve been helping my 18-year-old son navigate the college admissions journey. In many ways, I’m better equipped than most parents since I’ve worked for and with universities, so I know a lot about the vagaries of the admissions process.  However, those same qualifications created a bit of hubris in the approach I... Continue Reading →

Love Your Library

February and love have been closely linked for nearly 2,000 years. In the 1960s we started recognizing February as American Heart Month, and in recent decades, libraries jumped on the theme of the month, declaring February 'Library Lovers Month'. I discovered this lesser-known milestone on a recent visit to my town’s public library. As I... Continue Reading →

Bruce and Stevie

Celebrating a fabulous birthday weekend in Chicago last week came with the added bonus of downtime on the plane to watch a few movies, including the new Stevie Van Zandt documentary that touches on one of the greatest friendships in rock history. A seriously talented musician in his own right, Van Zandt might be best... Continue Reading →

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